What's Composable Commerce All About?

When I first heard of ‘composable commerce', I thought it was just another buzzphrase being tossed around in ecommerce circles.

But the more I dug into it, the more I realized it wasn't just hype – it's a real game-changer for how we build online stores.

Rather than relying on an all-in-one ecommerce platform that's calling the shots, composable commerce gives you the freedom to build your own tech stack from scratch.

You pick the best tools for each bit of your business and plug them together with APIs – it's a smarter, more flexible way to run ecommerce, and it's revolutionizing things for brands that want to move quick, scale efficiently, and avoid getting locked into outdated systems.

Let's break this down and see what it's all about.

Getting to Grips With Composable Commerce

The Lowdown

Composable commerce is a modular approach to building ecommerce platforms.

Rather than using one platform for everything (like Shopify, Magento, or BigCommerce), you build your store from individual components that each handle a specific job.

You can pick the best solution for:

Checkout (get the one that works best for you)
Product information management (PIM) (handle all that data with ease)
Content management system (CMS) (create a compelling story)
Search and filtering (make it easy to find what people want)
Order management (keep track of every order with ease)
Loyalty programs (make your customers feel loved)
Shipping and logistics (get those orders moving)

These tools are all connected through APIs so they can talk to each other. The big advantage? You can change or upgrade any part of your stack without having to overhaul your entire site.

Loads of the biggest ecommerce brands out there are already making the switch to this model. It's giving them the agility they need to compete in crowded markets without having to constantly rebuild everything from scratch.

MACH Architecture

Composable commerce often uses MACH architecture.

MACH stands for:

Microservices: Each part of your platform is built as a separate service – it's like having a whole team of different experts working on different bits of the job
API-first: Everything communicates through APIs – it's like having a whole network of different tools working together
Cloud-native: Fully hosted in the cloud for scalability and speed – it's like having a super-efficient, super-powerful team working on your behalf
Headless: The frontend (what the customer sees) is decoupled from the backend – it's like having a super flexible, super adaptable team that can work with whatever tools you need

This setup gives you full control over your ecommerce experience – from how your store looks to how it functions behind the scenes.

MACH isn't a platform – it's a philosophy. It's about moving away from rigid architecture and toward flexibility and performance in every bit of your tech stack.

Why Brands Are Making the Switch to Composable Commerce

I've seen more and more ecommerce brands make the move to composable, and it's easy to see why it's so appealing:

1. Flexibility and Control

With traditional ecommerce platforms, you're often stuck with what the platform offers. If you want to change something, you either have to wait for the platform to update it or hire a dev team to build a custom solution.

With composable commerce, you're in the driving seat.

You get to choose exactly the tools you want to use, and can swap them out without breaking your site. That means:

Faster updates
More room for innovation
Easier testing of new tools or features

This setup gives marketers and developers the freedom to work independently. You can iterate faster without waiting for one-size-fits-all features from a platform vendor.

2. Speed and Performance

Composable setups are typically faster because you're only running the services you need – no bloated code, no legacy systems holding you back.

For example:

Brand	Result After Going Composable
Venus Fashion	72% faster load times
Nike	Cut page load times by over 2 seconds
Lego	Scaled globally with faster rollouts

Performance is often the first benefit teams notice. Faster sites not only improve user experience but also boost SEO and reduce bounce rates.

3. Scalability

As your business grows, you might need tools for:

Internationalization
Multi-currency checkout
B2B features
Advanced analytics

Composable commerce lets you add these new tools without replatforming – you simply plug them in.

This approach lets your business scale based on growth, not platform limitations. You avoid the trap of rebuilding your store every time your needs change.

4. Vendor Independence

You're not locked in to one vendor or one ecosystem. If one tool isn't working, replace it.

That level of freedom is hard to find in traditional ecommerce setups.

More importantly, you can negotiate better pricing or explore emerging tools as the market evolves – this flexibility keeps your stack modern and cost-effective.

Who Is Composable Commerce For?

It's not the magic bullet for every business. Composable commerce works best for ecommerce businesses that:

Have complex needs or custom workflows
Need to scale quickly
Sell across multiple channels or markets
Have dev resources (in-house or agency)
Are hitting limitations with current platforms

Here's a quick rundown:

Business Type	Good Fit for Composable Commerce?
Solo Shopify Store	No
Mid-market DTC Brand	Yes
Global Enterprise	Yes
B2B Ecommerce	Yes
Dropshipping Store	Probably not

If your team is small or hasn't got the technical know-how, composable might be a bit too complicated. But for growing teams, the extra flexibility is well worth it.

I always recommend brands do a technology audit before switching to composable. That way they can figure out exactly what they need – and whether going composable is a practical next step for them.

Key Components of a Composable Commerce Stack

When building a composable stack, you're essentially picking tools for each layer of your e-commerce experience.

Here's what that can look like in practice:

Layer	Example Tools
Storefront (Headless CMS)	Contentful, Storyblok, Sanity
Ecommerce Engine	commercetools, Elastic Path, VTEX
Checkout	Stripe, Bolt, Adyen
PIM	Akeneo, Plytix, Salsify
Search & Discovery	Algolia, Bloomreach, Searchspring
Customer Reviews	Yotpo, Trustpilot
Loyalty/Rewards	Smile.io, LoyaltyLion
Order Management (OMS)	Fluent Commerce, Shopify Plus (OMS)
Analytics	Segment, Google Analytics 4

You can mix and match these based on your budget, goals and industry.

Many of these tools offer free trials or tiered pricing models, which makes it a lot easier to test them out in real-world conditions before committing to anything long-term.

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Real-World Examples

Here are some brands that are already using composable commerce – and how it's working out for them.

Nike

Nike wanted to get more control over their front end and improve site speed. They moved to a headless architecture powered by a composable backend.

Results: Improved load times across global markets, custom user experiences for different regions, and better integration with their internal logistics and inventory systems.

Nike's approach let them scale globally while tailoring the customer experience for each region. That gave them a real competitive edge across multiple markets.

Venus Fashion

Venus Fashion were using Shopify but wanted to boost performance and flexibility. They switched to a composable model using a headless CMS and some of the best backend tools on the market.

Results: A 72% increase in site speed, higher conversions, and easier integration with their marketing tools. Their marketing team got more control over content, which reduced dev bottlenecks and let them launch campaigns faster.

Lego

Lego needed to scale globally and personalise content across markets. They adopted a MACH-based composable setup.

Results: They were able to scale ecommerce in over 140 countries, deliver personalised experiences across regions, and improve team productivity with modular systems. The move also let them unify content and commerce across all digital touchpoints, improving brand consistency worldwide.

Benefits vs Trade-Offs

Let's be honest – composable commerce isn't for everyone. There are pros and cons.

Benefits:

Customisation at every layer
Fast deployment of new features
Scalability across regions and business models
Better performance and speed
Vendor flexibility

Trade-Offs:

Higher upfront development costs
Requires technical knowledge or dev resources
More complex tech stack to manage
Tool sprawl can become a problem if you don't have good oversight

But even with the trade-offs, the ROI tends to outweigh the cost for brands that are scaling – the flexibility and performance gains can easily pay for themselves over time.

How Much Does Composable Commerce Cost?

It's really hard to put a single price tag on composable commerce, because it depends on what tools you use and how complex your stack is

But here's a rough breakdown:

Component	Estimated Monthly Cost (USD)
Headless CMS	$100 – $2,000+
Ecommerce backend	$500 – $10,000+
Search and filtering	$100 – $3,000+
Payment processing	~2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
Loyalty/CRM tools	$50 – $1,000+
Dev agency/support	$2,000 – $20,000+/month

You can get started lean, but costs can grow fast depending on scale and complexity.

For bigger brands, though, these costs are often offset by better conversion rates, faster rollout times, and reduced reliance on full replatforms.

When to Consider Composable Commerce

Here are some signs it might be time to move to a composable setup:

Your current platform is holding you back
You need to push new features out faster
You're moving into new markets or channels
Your marketing team wants more control over content
You're constantly having to do technical workarounds

If two or more of these are true, composable commerce might be a good fit.

You don't have to do the switch overnight, though – many brands start by going headless with their CMS or upgrading just one service, and build from there.

How to Get Started

Here's how I'd recommend approaching it:

Audit your current tech stack: Where are the pain points? What tools are you really fond of and which ones are on the verge of burning out?
Painting your dream picture
- What do you really want your customers to experience, in a perfect world?
- What power-ups does your team need to be able to do their jobs smoothly?
Start from the ground up
- You don't have to try to upend everything at once – that's just a recipe for disaster.
- Begin by fixing just one key piece of the puzzle (like that clunky CMS or PIM)
Partner up
- When you're looking for new tools, look for folks who play nice with the MACH crowd
- Make sure you either have the in-house smarts to integrate them smoothly or have a reliable partner to help out
Keep track of what's behind the scenes
- Keep a master map of all the different services you're using and how they all talk to each other
- Trust me, you'll be glad you did further down the line

Don’t go off and try to migrate all at once – a gradual approach will help you avoid any major speed bumps while still giving you a chance to get some early wins in.

Last Words of Wisdom

Composable commerce isn't just some fleeting trend – it's the smart way to go about building an online store – especially if you need the flexibility, speed and room to grow that some of the older platforms just can't match.

It's not for the faint of heart, and it can be pricey too.

But if your team has got the right mix of tech and strategy, it can give you a level of control and performance that the old guard just can't keep up with.

If your store is starting to feel a bit stuck, and you want to build something that can grow with your brand – then composable commerce might just be the way to go.

Just keep in mind – success doesn't come from just slapping on some fancy tech – it's about having a clear plan and choosing your tools wisely.

And what really sets apart the brands that get this right is the strategy – it's not just about throwing cash at a problem.